Exclusive Movie Review: "Dust 2 Glory"

An inside look at a race against the clock in a country that defies time.

Every year some 1200 hard-core racers and 2000 spectators gather in the Mexican desert for an extreme three-day test of endurance and skill. Like any motorsports event, the ultimate goal for Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 entrants is to win, but for many, just finishing the race is considered a victory. Conquering the thousand-mile course - traversing treacherous, punishing terrain and living to tell the tales - is considered a major accomplishment for both man and machine.Dust-eating adventurers have been gathering in Ensenada, Mexico, since 1967 to test their skills and fortitude en route to La Paz in the Baja 1000, the longest non-stop, point-to-point race in the world. Their vehicles range from high-tech $200k rigs to backyard-built off-roaders in all shapes and sizes. There are motorcycles built to travel at speeds up to 120 mph, Frankensteined dune buggies powered by Porsche engines, and 800-horsepower Trophy Trucks. Regardless of budget or competition class, the machines are built to thrive on the Baja backroads and open frontier. They must tear across silt and rocks, desert and sandy beaches, and up and down steep mountain roads through both daylight and darkness to triumph over the course laid out each year by SCORE officials. The meek and inexperienced best not attempt this race, the world's greatest motorsports challenge.

Award-winning filmmaker Dana Brown took a crew on the November 2003 event to capture the danger and the glory of the Tecate SCORE 1000 in "Dust 2 Glory."

Award-winning filmmaker Dana Brown (best known for the surf classic "Step into Liquid") took a crew of 90 along on the November 2003 event to capture the danger and the glory of this unparalleled odyssey in "Dust 2 Glory." This 90-minute feature documentary immerses the audience right into excitement of the race, without the sweat-soaked, roadside experience previously necessary to catch these brave competitors in action. More than 50 cameras, some overhead in helicopters, some mounted in the cars, and some inside the helmets of the racers themselves, follow the progress of the teams from start to finish. The resulting feature was culled from more than 250 hours of film acquired by the end of the event.Calling it "a race against the clock in a country that defies time," Brown immerses viewers into the drama from the very beginning, joining the camaraderie of the pre-race festivities and introducing us to the racers and their machines. At the starting line, we meet Mike "Mouse" McCoy (one of the film's producers) who has decided he will race the entire thousand miles of the race on his motorcycle solo; a brutal, jack-hammering, 18-hour journey with no relief rider.

We also meet the McMillin family, three generations of racers including rookie driver 16-year-old Andy, who got his driver's license just in time for the event. There is the team of Jimmy and 62-year-old father JN Roberts, who is returning to battle 30 years after his victory in the first Baja 1000 in 1967. To satisfy the girls who are likely to be dragged to this film with their boyfriends, there's also an all-woman team (also dubbed "Team Estrogen") comprised of the wives and daughters of other racers.